Getting to grips with Atlas, the ad tool that’s helping Facebook challenge Google

Facebook bought Atlas from powerhouse Microsoft (for about US$100 million) in 2013 and then, for some reason, allowed it to lie in hibernation until September this year. With its recent re-launch, Atlas has become a key piece in Facebook’s advertising and marketing strategies — challenging Google’s dominance in the digital ad sphere. It’s expected to be the first true challenger to DoubleClick and Google Display business.

Read more: Facebook to launch ad platform to better track users across 3rd-party sites

Atlas — a tool formerly used for measurement and tracking ad display efficacy — has become more powerful within Facebook. Here’s how:

• Works on people-based marketing – Facebook’s user base
• Ties impressions back to Facebook’s user base
• Doesn’t rely on cookies for last click-attributions
• Tell advertisers what percentage of those ads were served to which demographic groups
• Check that ads reached the right audiences – cross referencing ads with the Facebook user base
• Reaches the audience on three platforms: desktop browsers, mobile and apps
• Serve ads on Instagram.

Read more: Facebook’s new ad platform targets users across sites, tracks offline sales

Display ads are core to Facebook, but they remain a secondary focus for Google, with the bulk of their advertising revolving around search ads. With the limitations of cookie based-measurement, Atlas could help improve the user’s path to conversion, by more precise targeting, optimization and measurement. According to the Atlas website, it can “connect online touchpoints with offline purchases to generate a new understanding about what really drives incremental reach and new sales.”

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This article by Madré Roothman originally appeared on the Synergize blog and is republished with permission.